There are few things as good as a fresh, hot loaf of real sourdough bread but, due to its finicky nature, it can be a hard thing to nail at home. Luckily, Epicurious has a cheat for us, and it involves fresh yeast.

Most plants have naturally-occurring yeasts which explains how you can make a sourdough starter from flour and water. You can also make yeast from potatoes by boiling and mashing a potato and adding sugar to the mashed potato and potato water. It will give your bread a different flavor and was the way yeast for vodka…